Outside of the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championships are widely considered to be the next biggest soccer tournament in the world and after a year delay, the 2021 Euros will begin on Friday with Turkey taking on Italy at Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Over the ensuing month, the top 24 teams in Europe will battle in 11 different host cities across the continent for the right to call themselves champions of Europe. Portugal is the defending champions and 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to lead his country to become the second repeat winners ever after Spain won in 2008 and 2012.
Meanwhile, France is coming off a World Cup victory in 2018 and Kylian Mbappe will be looking to lead his club and country to another major trophy win at Euros 2021. Portugal is listed at 8-1 in the 2021 Euros odds from William Hill Sportsbook along with Germany and Spain, while France narrowly edges out England (5-1) and Belgium (6-1) as the 9-2 favorite. Before making any Euro 2021 futures picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine soccer insider Martin Green is saying.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper. Since then, his European soccer picks have been spot-on. Green has generated nearly $19,000 for $100 bettors since the 2017-18 season.
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Now, Green has broken down Euro 2021 from every possible angle and revealed which teams you should back and which teams you should completely avoid. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks.
Top Euro 2021 predictions
Green is avoiding Spain, even though the three-time European champions are among the Euro 2021 favorites at 8-1. After winning the 2008 Euros and the 2012 Euros, Spain was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2016 Euros. Add in a group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup and a Round of 16 defeat at the 2018 World Cup, and it's been an incredibly disappointing run for a historically dominant club on the world stage.
La Roja is currently sixth in the FIFA world rankings and even though their last international defeat came to Russia on penalty kicks in the 2018 World Cup, they've had a string of disappointing draws in big matches. They drew against Germany and Switzerland in the Nations League and drew against Greece in a pivotal World Cup Qualifying match that has opened the door for Sweden to overtake them at the top of the table in Group B.
"Captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for Covid-19 just five days before Euro 2020, plunging Spain's preparations into chaos," Green told SportsLine. "He was forced to go home and into quarantine, depriving the team of a key leader on the pitch. Spain has a great deal of talented midfielders, but Busquets is still an important player for the team."
How to make Euro 2021 picks
Green has analyzed the Euro 2021 bracket from every angle and revealed which teams to back and fade, including a long shot who has a chance to shock the world and go all the way. He's only sharing his top picks here.
Who is Green backing to win Euro 2021? And which long shot can go all the way? Check out the odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see Martin Green's Euro 2021 futures bets and analysis, all from the soccer expert who has generated nearly $19,000 since the 2017-18 season.
Euro 2021 odds
France 9-2
England 5-1
Belgium 6-1
Spain 8-1
Germany 8-1
Portugal 8-1
Italy 9-1
Netherlands 14-1
Denmark 28-1
Croatia 33-1
Turkey 50-1
Switzerland 75-1
Poland 80-1
Ukraine 100-1
Russia 100-1
Sweden 100-1
Austria 125-1
Czech Republic 125-1
Wales 150-1
Scotland 250-1
Slovakia 250-1
Hungary 400-1
North Macedonia 500-1
Finland 500-1
